Demon of a Different Kind
by Firebomb525
Summary: What if owners of the Xbox 360 version of MK9 got their own exclusive character? A Spartan of their own.  One-shot, read and review please.


Demon of a Different Kind

The desert was massive. It stretched across the land, seemingly endless. Gusts of wind swept by, throwing up golden clouds of sand into the air which constantly covered the stretch of land. Perhaps the most noticeable landmark of this desolate place was the statue, or what remained of it, that lay in the center of the desert. It must have been absolutely gigantic when it had once been complete. Now, it lay in ruins, brown chunks of stone contrasting against the light sand. If one looked close enough, piecing the shattered remains back together, they would recognize a woman was featured. Her stern, narrow face stared off blankly, every day being less and less visible due to the shifting sands. The torso still lay attached to the head, but the rest had been broken off. An arm stood upwards, hand grasping at the sky. Pillars and other ruins lay strewn about, yet none were as impressive as the once beautiful stone figure.

Yet, something was amiss here. Something didn't belong. The blinding sun shined upon a metallic object stuck in the dunes, completely out of place in this ancient world. It was a ship of sorts. In a place like this, the term 'space ship' was virtually unknown, but that was the best way to describe it. Or better yet, half of a space ship. One side of the ship looked as if it had once been attached to another portion, but was cleanly amputated from it. The hideous brown spacecraft had taken plenty of damage in its landing, with several gashes adorning its body. Supplies and vehicles of unknown origin had been flung from these openings, covering the trails cut through the sand by the ship as well as the final crash site. A few small fires raged inside, sparks crackled angrily, and alarms blared, until they were silenced by the loss of power. A hangar door, located near the rear of the dying spacecraft, slowly attempted to open up, before stopping halfway up its ascent. All that could be seen was darkness inside. No signs of life.

Surprisingly, a figure crouched under the exhausted door and leaped down into the sand. It certainly looked like it belonged in space. Standing at least seven feet tall, the alien wore what appeared to be a futuristic suit of armor. It was completely sealed up, showing no signs of flesh underneath. An ebony black mesh underlay was visible in several places, but the rest was covered by olive green plates of unknown metal. They interlocked and fused all along the arms, chest, back, and legs. The suit did not appear bulky; rather it was streamlined to fit the wearer's body. Apparently, the mysterious invader had been quite the warrior, as the armor was chipped and scorched in numerous areas. The most striking trait of the warrior was its helmet. No face was visible. Instead, a brilliant gold visor gazed out, hiding any emotion the wearer may have. A protrusion above it provided some protection from any blinding lights as well as blows to the head. A flashlight was on the left side of the helmet, though it had been shattered. Vents and a speaker were placed on the other side, their uses quite obvious. A socket of sorts, perhaps for a chip or disc, could be seen on the back of the helmet. Upon the warrior's back was a rifle, made up of two silver pieces; the frame and barreled receiver. An electronic cyan screen was in place where the sights would normally be, displaying numbers and a compass. A flashlight lay under the muzzle, this one being intact. Beside it lay another firearm; a pump-action shotgun, a tad more advanced than any seen today, as evidenced by the electronic screen that displayed the ammo counter, as well as a holographic sight and flashlight underneath the barrel. On the soldier's leg, a purple crescent handle stood out from the green armor. Sage fragmentation grenades and vibrant blue and red spheres were attached to the soldier's waist. It was quite an armament for one individual. The warrior would need it.

"Cortana?" The voice gave away the gender of the armored figure; male. He took a few steps forward, glancing around at his newfound world. There was no response. His armored hand reached to the back of his head and pulled out a computer chip. He brought it to his 'eyes' and took a moment to stare at it. Whatever he was searching for, a flicker of light or a sound, did not appear.

"I'm sorry…" Two words, yet the anguish behind them were clearly distinguishable. He returned the chip to its home and began to walk away from the site of the downed ship, away from painful memories.

_"I'll miss you." _ Her last words to him before he had gone into the cryotube. He remembered looking into her eyes, violet and thoughtful. She was not human. She was an A.I. construct, one of the most advanced ever created. Yet, she seemed so…real to him. They had witty banter, deep conversations, and she had saved him more times than he could count.

She was gone now.

_"Wake me…when you need me." _ That was what he had said. She had never woken him. The reason for his rude awakening was because of the crash of the _Forward Unto Dawn. _Cortana must have reached the end of her lifespan while he was in his deep slumber. He never even got to say goodbye. It was naïve to think she would be around forever, that she'd be there when he woke up. And yet, he had continued to think so, and now he would have to take the bitter pill of acceptance. She was gone, and now he was all alone. Truth be told, he needed her right now. He took a deep breath, fighting off the wave of emotion that threatened to ruin his composure. He checked his HUD, making sure it was running properly. His shields were fully charged; no pings on his sensor, and his weapons were loaded and charged.

The fallen statue of the woman caught his eye. He strode over to it, hand running over the weathered stone. She looked human, which gave him relief. What disturbed him was how old the statue was.

_Where am I? Or…what year is it?_

The thought of having traveled back in time was ridiculous, yet nothing seemed to make sense. He was on an abandoned world, with no supplies or allies, and no way of getting home. He was never one to give up, never to stop believing. He was trained to do the impossible, the unthinkable. Yet, even the mighty must face the realization that it will not last.

The armor-clad soldier sat down in the sand, back to the head of the statue. He was lost. There was no mission, no objectives to complete. He had succeeded in saving the human race. Was this to be his reward? Dying alone, under the scorching yellow sun, with nobody to say goodbye to? His body ached from the impromptu crash, and he still was getting all the rust out of his system due to being asleep for however long it was. Maybe he needed to sleep once more. A permanent rest. He had done what he had set out to do. His brothers and sisters would be waiting for him with open arms and smiling faces. Cortana would be there too…perhaps then he could finally thank her.

A beep drew his attention away from his brooding. He glanced at his sensor. A dot was approaching, an unknown entity, which immediately prompted the soldier to stand up and scan his surroundings. Realizing the being was approaching from behind, the warrior rolled forward and spun around to face whatever was coming. A man leaped up onto the head of the decapitated statue.

"Hmph. So you are what caused the energy spike?" The man grinned, eyeing up the confused soldier. The slim male wore an elegant purple tunic, with black leggings and shirt underneath. A beautiful ebony and yellow cape billowed in the wind, ancient symbols emblazoned upon it. The face of the man was covered by a purple veil, and his black hair was tied up in a ponytail. The most alarming feature were the twin swords sheathed on his hips. The purple ninja leaped downwards, landing gracefully in the sand.

"I am Rain. And you?"

"Master Chief Petty Officer John-117."

"No need to be formal, John," Rain chuckled, which made John uneasy.

"Well, John, it would appear to be your lucky day. You see, my master isn't convinced that I am as strong as I say I am," he began, advancing towards the Chief, who held his ground.

"I'm going to prove him wrong. The soul of such a warrior would please him, and your technology would be icing on the cake. So, please, why don't we have ourselves a little battle, a kombat if you will? Winner gets to live." Rain laughed once more, unsheathing his twin blades and readying them for combat.

"I advise you stay back, Rain." The devious kombatant smirked, and then literally melted into the ground, as if his entire body changed into a liquid substance. A puddle was all that remained, and even that pool of water was evaporating in the unforgiving heat. John swiftly removed his rifle from the magnetic strip upon his back. He peered about; looking for his foe, but it was all in vain.

"What the hell is this?" The sword sliced into his back, eliciting a grunt of pain from the soldier. He stumbled forward, and then turned around only to see Rain's foot striking forth and hitting him right in the torso. The UNSC Spartan flew backwards, before landing on his back in the sand.

"Surprise, surprise," Rain cackled. John grunted in pain, his shields blaring, before finally going dead. They were not recharging.

Rain dashed forward, his eyes cold and full of malice. John quickly got to his feet, whipped his assault rifle to the front, and unleashed a barrage of bullets. The orchid warrior cried out in pain as the bullets smacked into his body, his attack abruptly ended. Blood splattered onto the sand. The MA5C clicked and sputtered, requiring a reload.

_Why isn't he dead! No shielding technology on him, the bullets made contact. This doesn't make sense!_

"Your toys will not stop me!" Rain, quickly recovering from the surprise attack, leaped into the air and slammed his foot into John's chest, forcing the armored soldier to stumble back. Rain kicked out his foot once again, which Spartan 117 managed to block, though dropping his rifle. The Spartan fired back with a punch to Rain's chest, followed by another directly to the face. The hydromancer stumbled backwards, and John took advantage of this by shoulder blocking his foe. Rain careened backwards, landing on his back.

Inside his helmet, John grinned. It had been a long time since he had found himself in a hand-to-hand combat situation such as this. The adrenaline rush was euphoric, and there was no longer any rust clinging to his joints.

"Damn, that felt good."

"So will this!" Rain pointed at the soldier, a blue orb sitting on the edge of his finger. Suddenly, a lightning bolt sped downwards from the sky and struck John right in the chest. Overcome with pain, he collapsed to the ground, gritting his teeth, refusing to let his foe hear his cries of agony.

"Pathetic." Rain teleported in front of the downed Master Chief, then proceeded to lift up the Earth warrior by the neck. Rain threw the Chief over his shoulder, sending the Chief flying through the air. Rain shouted out an incantation, and a stream of high-powered water burst from his hands, shooting into the sky and slamming into the Spartan. The liquid burned him intensely, and it may as well have been called lava. Crashing into the earth, the fallen soldier grimaced in pain. The biofoam injectors weren't working, and neither were his shields. The only thing keeping him relatively intact was the MJOLNIR armor.

"Ready to submit yet, Master Chief?" Rain made use of his teleportation move once again, appearing beside the fallen Spartan.

"The fight isn't finished." Chief flipped up onto his feet, a blue spherical device in his hand. He shoved his elbow into Rain's gut, and then slapped the grenade onto the ninja's chest. The grenade hissed in glee and began to glow a bright cyan. Chief brought his foot back, and then slammed it into Rain's bent over form, sending his foe backwards. On cue, the plasma grenade exploded, scorching Rain's body and sending him crashing into the ground. John charged forward, advancing towards his recovering foe. The unrelenting Spartan whipped out his M90 CAWS, a shotgun of unrivaled power, and brought its stock down brutally on the back of Rain's head, forcing him into the suffocating sand. Rain groaned and looked up, only to find the shotgun looking right back at him. With a pull of the trigger, the shells ripped into Rain's head and body, causing him to cry out in pain. Blood and flesh flew outwards as the shells tore into him. Having some sense, the hydromancer teleported behind John, and unsheathed his swords.

_He still isn't dead!_

John turned around, only to receive a slash from Rain's swords in return. He grunted in pain and leaped backwards, clutching his chest. The MJOLNIR armor on his chest had been breached. Pale white flesh could be seen, and two horizontal cuts were visible, blood trickling down.

"This ends now!" John lunged forward with superhuman speed and threw an uppercut, which connected with Rain's jaw. John felt a hint of satisfaction as he heard the bone cracking, felt the jaw give way violently. Time slowed as Rain flew backwards. Blood spewed from his mouth, with a couple teeth falling out as well. John leaped upwards, above the limp body of Rain. He brought his hands together, and then slammed them down into Rain's chest, hammering the ninja down as well as cracking a few ribs. Rain plummeted downwards, crashing into the sand. John landed as well, as gracefully as one could in a suit of hi-tech armor. He stood up, armor shining brilliantly in the sunlight. Victory was his, he could feel it. Rain slowly and painfully got to his feet. His clothing was blood-soaked and torn. His lower jaw was set at an awkward angle, and he clutched his chest.

"FINISH HIM!" The menacing voice echoed, its ominous command being repeated over and over. John looked all over, unable to find its owner. Rain flashed red once before returning to his normal self.

"No…no, please. Give me another chance…" The voice did not answer his pleading. The golden visor returned its emotionless gaze back to the beaten warrior. Blood splattered onto the ground as Rain spoke again.

"DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU TO THE NETHERREALM!" An orb began to form Rain's bruised right hand. Thinking fast, John sprinted to his fatigued and dying opponent. His hand reached down to his leg, grasping the handle of the unknown weapon. Before Rain could enact his spell, a blade of pure plasma appeared and embedded itself in his gut. Rain's eyes widened and he was speechless as Master Chief lifted him upwards with the energy sword. He unclipped another of the blue grenades and smacked Rain in the face with it, allowing the plasma grenade to stick to the defeated kombatant. With a roar of anger and bloodlust he did not know he had, John head butted Rain, his helmet amplifying the blow. As Rain was sent backwards, the sword cut cleanly through the flesh, leaving a large diagonal, yet cauterized, gash in Rain's chest, trailing from his chest to his left thigh. The servant of Shao Khan remained in the air for a few moments, wishing he had chosen his path differently, before the plasma grenade exploded and vaporized his body.

John grimaced as he knelt to the ground. The reassuring beep of his shields recharging were music to his ears, and he felt the biofoam working its magic on his wounds. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. He had experienced some form of bloodlust, a rage that made him eager to kill his opponent. It was as if that voice had urged on his violent emotions. Instead of a calm and collected soldier, he had become a rageful barbarian. John was no longer in the world he once knew, that was certain. Magic, if that was what it was called, ruled here. He'd need all of his training and weaponry to even have a chance at surviving more battles, which he assumed were on the horizon. He rose to his feet, and was shocked at what was before him.

The air seemed to literally split apart, forming a circle of chaotic energy. A portal had formed, and inside it, John could see a city under attack. Fires consumed the land, while beasts and machines fought in the air and on land. The Master Chief quickly realized what he was seeing was a human city, or at least an older version of it, judging from the architecture. The aircraft were actually helicopters, and human figures could be seen firing at the monsters giving chase. Tanks in the city streets were firing at gigantic abominations, while soldiers were locked in kombat with otherworldly beings.

"Could it be…?" Spartan 117 picked up his dropped weapons, and placed them onto his back. He deactivated his energy sword, a Covenant weapon that he had taken a liking to and that once had belonged to a close friend, and placed it on his thigh. He stood in front of the portal, letting it all soak in. His mission was still not complete. Whatever time or realm he was in, the planet he assumed to be Earth was under siege. It would be a dishonor to his comrades, to everyone that gave their lives to defend humanity, to let it fall. The Reclaimer was ready to save humanity once again.

This time, he'd have to do it alone. A fact which haunted him, a fact that allowed the emotion he had hidden away so deep escape, if but only briefly; Fear.

_Cortana…_

"Forward Unto Dawn," John-117, the Master Chief and UNSC Spartan, murmured as he stepped into the portal, into the war torn Earthrealm.


End file.
